This invention relates generally to the field of window gates for protection against intruders, and more particularly to an improved form thereof adapted to be used in those windows of a tenement or similar structure adjacent a fire escape.
Devices of this type are widely used in urban areas, particularly in windows located on the ground floor level to foil intruders seeking unauthorized entry. Above the ground floor, such devices are used principally in those windows leading to a fire escape or similar exit, since they are the only windows normally offering access to an intruder. In such installations, the gate must offer the occupants of the building provision for rapid opening in the event of a fire or other emergencies. Such requirement precludes the use of key-type locks, and simple latching means employing a striker can usually be overcome from the exterior side of the gate owing to the presence of openings in the plane thereof which afford light and ventilation.
The most commonly used installation is the so-called Lazy Tong type which may be folded to one side of the window opening to provide access therethrough when the gate is opened. In such construction, if the locking means is easily manipulatable, it can be manually opened by an intruder. If it is difficult to open, it interferes with ready access by an exiting occupant.